asset forfeiture law clerk position (post grad) at USAO? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I was called for an interview, conducted through Forfeiture Support Associates for a full time, permanent (or as permanent as you want it to be) law clerk position at the USAO in my home district. It sounds like it's research and writing on the subject of asset forfeiture. Has anybody every done one of these? Does anybody know anything about the position and/or the interview from personal experience?

[Anonymous User]

I was called for an interview, conducted through Forfeiture Support Associates for a full time, permanent (or as permanent as you want it to be) law clerk position at the USAO in my home district. It sounds like it's research and writing on the subject of asset forfeiture. Has anybody every done one of these? Does anybody know anything about the position and/or the interview from personal experience?

Working as a law clerk now and interned at a USAO where I asked in-depth about these.

At least in the district where I interned, the Asset Forfeiture specialists were AUSAs who focused almost entirely on (you guessed it) asset forfeiture. That meant whenever there were significant monetary resources Uncle Sam wanted to get at, the forfeiture specialist would write up attachments to have property seized while the indictment was pending. They also did a lot of post-trial garnishment work (which I've seen quite a bit as a clerk).

The feedback I've received is that the specialist does very little trial work and works almost exclusively on paper. Based on the motions I've seen, I think you'd become really, really familiar with state property law and federal garnishment statutes. I understand the quality of life is mostly good; you get a pretty consistent churn of paperwork to do with deadlines, but because you aren't in court much, you can dictate your schedule pretty well.

I have zero idea about exit options out of the position, despite trying to find out something.

[objctnyrhnr]

I was called for an interview, conducted through Forfeiture Support Associates for a full time, permanent (or as permanent as you want it to be) law clerk position at the USAO in my home district. It sounds like it's research and writing on the subject of asset forfeiture. Has anybody every done one of these? Does anybody know anything about the position and/or the interview from personal experience?

Working as a law clerk now and interned at a USAO where I asked in-depth about these.

At least in the district where I interned, the Asset Forfeiture specialists were AUSAs who focused almost entirely on (you guessed it) asset forfeiture. That meant whenever there were significant monetary resources Uncle Sam wanted to get at, the forfeiture specialist would write up attachments to have property seized while the indictment was pending. They also did a lot of post-trial garnishment work (which I've seen quite a bit as a clerk).

The feedback I've received is that the specialist does very little trial work and works almost exclusively on paper. Based on the motions I've seen, I think you'd become really, really familiar with state property law and federal garnishment statutes. I understand the quality of life is mostly good; you get a pretty consistent churn of paperwork to do with deadlines, but because you aren't in court much, you can dictate your schedule pretty well.

I have zero idea about exit options out of the position, despite trying to find out something.

wait so you're working as a law clerk now AT the USAO?

[Anonymous User]

I was called for an interview, conducted through Forfeiture Support Associates for a full time, permanent (or as permanent as you want it to be) law clerk position at the USAO in my home district. It sounds like it's research and writing on the subject of asset forfeiture. Has anybody every done one of these? Does anybody know anything about the position and/or the interview from personal experience?

Working as a law clerk now and interned at a USAO where I asked in-depth about these.

At least in the district where I interned, the Asset Forfeiture specialists were AUSAs who focused almost entirely on (you guessed it) asset forfeiture. That meant whenever there were significant monetary resources Uncle Sam wanted to get at, the forfeiture specialist would write up attachments to have property seized while the indictment was pending. They also did a lot of post-trial garnishment work (which I've seen quite a bit as a clerk).

The feedback I've received is that the specialist does very little trial work and works almost exclusively on paper. Based on the motions I've seen, I think you'd become really, really familiar with state property law and federal garnishment statutes. I understand the quality of life is mostly good; you get a pretty consistent churn of paperwork to do with deadlines, but because you aren't in court much, you can dictate your schedule pretty well.

I have zero idea about exit options out of the position, despite trying to find out something.

This sounds exactly right, based on my experience. The only exit options I can imagine would be flipping to represent defendants trying to challenge forfeiture, or maybe moving into other areas of criminal prosecution. But that's just speculation. I'm more confused about what a permanent law clerk position is - that seems more limiting than just doing asset forfeiture.

[Anonymous User]

I was called for an interview, conducted through Forfeiture Support Associates for a full time, permanent (or as permanent as you want it to be) law clerk position at the USAO in my home district. It sounds like it's research and writing on the subject of asset forfeiture. Has anybody every done one of these? Does anybody know anything about the position and/or the interview from personal experience?

Working as a law clerk now and interned at a USAO where I asked in-depth about these.

At least in the district where I interned, the Asset Forfeiture specialists were AUSAs who focused almost entirely on (you guessed it) asset forfeiture. That meant whenever there were significant monetary resources Uncle Sam wanted to get at, the forfeiture specialist would write up attachments to have property seized while the indictment was pending. They also did a lot of post-trial garnishment work (which I've seen quite a bit as a clerk).

The feedback I've received is that the specialist does very little trial work and works almost exclusively on paper. Based on the motions I've seen, I think you'd become really, really familiar with state property law and federal garnishment statutes. I understand the quality of life is mostly good; you get a pretty consistent churn of paperwork to do with deadlines, but because you aren't in court much, you can dictate your schedule pretty well.

I have zero idea about exit options out of the position, despite trying to find out something.

This sounds exactly right, based on my experience. The only exit options I can imagine would be flipping to represent defendants trying to challenge forfeiture, or maybe moving into other areas of criminal prosecution. But that's just speculation. I'm more confused about what a permanent law clerk position is - that seems more limiting than just doing asset forfeiture.

by permanent i just meant not limited to a one year term or anything

[Anonymous User]

But why law clerk and not attorney? (We don't have any non-student law clerks in my office, for instance.)

[anon168]

I was called for an interview, conducted through Forfeiture Support Associates for a full time, permanent (or as permanent as you want it to be) law clerk position at the USAO in my home district. It sounds like it's research and writing on the subject of asset forfeiture. Has anybody every done one of these? Does anybody know anything about the position and/or the interview from personal experience?

From my experience, it's essentially a glorified paralegal position.

[Anonymous User]

I was called for an interview, conducted through Forfeiture Support Associates for a full time, permanent (or as permanent as you want it to be) law clerk position at the USAO in my home district. It sounds like it's research and writing on the subject of asset forfeiture. Has anybody every done one of these? Does anybody know anything about the position and/or the interview from personal experience?

From my experience, it's essentially a glorified paralegal position.

from what I can glean from the online posting, it seems like there are both paralegals and "legal clerks" who are underneath the "law clerk."

what kinds of stuff did you do? how long did you do it for?

[Anonymous User]

I was called for an interview, conducted through Forfeiture Support Associates for a full time, permanent (or as permanent as you want it to be) law clerk position at the USAO in my home district. It sounds like it's research and writing on the subject of asset forfeiture. Has anybody every done one of these? Does anybody know anything about the position and/or the interview from personal experience?

Working as a law clerk now and interned at a USAO where I asked in-depth about these.

At least in the district where I interned, the Asset Forfeiture specialists were AUSAs who focused almost entirely on (you guessed it) asset forfeiture. That meant whenever there were significant monetary resources Uncle Sam wanted to get at, the forfeiture specialist would write up attachments to have property seized while the indictment was pending. They also did a lot of post-trial garnishment work (which I've seen quite a bit as a clerk).

The feedback I've received is that the specialist does very little trial work and works almost exclusively on paper. Based on the motions I've seen, I think you'd become really, really familiar with state property law and federal garnishment statutes. I understand the quality of life is mostly good; you get a pretty consistent churn of paperwork to do with deadlines, but because you aren't in court much, you can dictate your schedule pretty well.

I have zero idea about exit options out of the position, despite trying to find out something.

wait so you're working as a law clerk now AT the USAO?

I'm the anon who wrote : "Working as a law clerk now and interned at a USAO where I asked in-depth about these." When I said "law clerk" I meant judicial law clerk (where I routinely run across the type of work that asset forfeiture AUSAs do.) Sorry about the confusion.

[anon168]

I was called for an interview, conducted through Forfeiture Support Associates for a full time, permanent (or as permanent as you want it to be) law clerk position at the USAO in my home district. It sounds like it's research and writing on the subject of asset forfeiture. Has anybody every done one of these? Does anybody know anything about the position and/or the interview from personal experience?

From my experience, it's essentially a glorified paralegal position.

from what I can glean from the online posting, it seems like there are both paralegals and "legal clerks" who are underneath the "law clerk."

what kinds of stuff did you do? how long did you do it for?

I was an AUSA for about 5+ years. Worked in both the criminal and civil sections of the office.

[Anonymous User]

I was called for an interview, conducted through Forfeiture Support Associates for a full time, permanent (or as permanent as you want it to be) law clerk position at the USAO in my home district. It sounds like it's research and writing on the subject of asset forfeiture. Has anybody every done one of these? Does anybody know anything about the position and/or the interview from personal experience?

From my experience, it's essentially a glorified paralegal position.

from what I can glean from the online posting, it seems like there are both paralegals and "legal clerks" who are underneath the "law clerk."

what kinds of stuff did you do? how long did you do it for?

I was an AUSA for about 5+ years. Worked in both the criminal and civil sections of the office.

at your office, were there any post-grad "law clerks" who helped to deal with asset forfeiture?

[anon168]

I was an AUSA for about 5+ years. Worked in both the criminal and civil sections of the office.

at your office, were there any post-grad "law clerks" who helped to deal with asset forfeiture?

No idea, never did AF and the little I know about it came from the back end of some of my cases post-verdict. It was a big office, so maybe there was.

AF requires quite a bit of paperwork and keeping track of time/deadline issues with respect to notices, publications, etc., so it would make sense to have a law clerk do and keep track of the rather complex administrative portion of forfeiture law.